Beginning with the feminine revolution of the 1960s, women have grown up thinking they could achieve just about anything they set their minds to. Singer Helen Reddy reflected the optimism of that generation with her hit song: "I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore..."

But while women’s contributions to the workforce are largely irrefutable, recent research indicates that their presence in the top ranks of the corporate world has been more of a whimper than a roar.

David G. Thomson, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant and author of Blueprint to a Billion: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth, reported in an April 22, 2008, USA TODAY article that only 43 women have climbed the traditional ladder to become CEOs of Fortune 1000 companies in the last 35 years.

At USA TODAY’s request, Thomson re-examined his data and re-interviewed women entrepreneurs to make sure that the early signs of a change weren't around the corner. He learned two things: There are no signs of change and, "This is a very emotionally charged topic," he says.

What keeps women from achieving the same level of entrepreneurial success remains a mystery to many business analysts. But not all is gloom and doom for female professionals. Consider the franchise model, which often allows women to use their unique gifts and skills, and thrive.

Interviews with franchisors and franchisees reveal that women can truly make it anywhere, given the opportunity that franchising affords. Some gravitate toward what might be considered traditional women’s interests, but others are blazing trails into non-traditional male fields, such as technology.

"As women, sometimes we’re drawn to personal services, businesses and opportunities that can have a social impact," said Kathleen McKay, Franchise Development Manager for the international caregiving franchise Home Instead Senior Care, based in Omaha, Neb. "We often see a need in our own lives, whether it’s taking care of parents or children. And out of that need are drawn to certain service industries. I think that can be the appeal to women of Home Instead Senior Care."

The franchise company, founded in 1994 by Paul and Lori Hogan, focuses on helping seniors remain in their homes. Two-thirds of Home Instead’s nearly 600 North American franchises are either solely or partly owned by women. A total of 123 are female-owned and 244 are partnerships made up of either two females or a female and a male. What’s more, the top seven businesses are solely or partly owned by women.

A closer look at the franchise network reveals that many franchisees are providing others with solutions to their own problems. Case in point: Patrice Thabault, who purchased a Home Instead Senior Care franchise in 2003 in South Burlington, VT. By the time she was a franchise owner, Thabault had plenty of experience as a family caregiver.

In 2001, Thabault had given up a 15-year career in the software business in Massachusetts to help care for her aging parents before they died. "My mother lived with Alzheimer’s disease for more than 12 years," she said. "Initially my father was her primary caregiver, but he died in 2004. When my sister, Paulette, and I started our business, we had a private caregiver in addition to help from the family providing 24-hour care so that our mother could remain at home. I knew and understood firsthand the difficulty of caring for people in the home, particularly 24 hours a day," she said.

Likewise, it may be no surprise that three-fourths of the 70 franchise owners at Abrakadoodle Remarkable Art Education are women, education being a field that is popular among females. Founded in 2002 in Reston, VA., by Rosemarie Hartnett, President, and Mary Rogers, CEO, the company provides a mobile art education program for children ages 20 months to 12 years of age.

"Our owners are marketers in their business so a large role is really to be a connector in the community," Hartnett said. "Then comes those relationship skills, which women are good at. Franchise owners bring art education classes to the community, working with public and private schools, community centers, parks and recreation programs, and preschools - any site where classes can be held. Women are generally very community-focused, and comfortable in those environments."

On the other hand, franchising doesn’t discriminate. What makes the concept good for women is advantageous for men as well. "First of all, there are systems in place so you’re not taking the time for your own learning curve," said Karen Powell, CFE, CEO of Decor & You, Inc., a 10-year-old interior decorating franchise based in Southbury, CT., with 82 owners, 95 percent of whom are women, operating 200 units.

"The success of any franchise is that ongoing training and support," Powell noted. "There’s always someone to call and go to if you have a challenge. There are very few issues that someone else has not been through."

While caregiving, education and decorating may be logical franchise picks for many women, females have forged into less traditional roles as well. Take CMIT Solutions, a computer consulting franchise firm started in 1994 by Georgia Jones of Austin, Texas, in the male-dominated world of cyberspace. "I remember going to industry events of 300 people where I was the only woman," said Jones, whose start-up company called "Computer Moms" - both men and women - helped train PC users how to work their computers.

As CMIT Solutions, the company’s 93 franchisees in 24 states provide computer consulting business services to small- and mid-sized businesses. "I never had a problem being a woman in a male-dominated field except those times when I was the only woman in the room," said Jones, who has stepped out of the CEO position and now serves as vice president of franchise services. "Our company has served a lot of male-managed companies as well."

Regardless of the type of franchises that women choose, certain skills inherent to females do seem to help. "Franchising is ideal for women because we are very used to networking and referring," said Decor & You franchisor Powell. "Women also are accustomed to being supportive and gravitating to a community. Franchising itself is a community."

More resources than ever now are available to help women build that community. The International Franchise Association (IFA) has formed the Women's Franchise Committee’s Franchise Network (WFN) of local chapters that meet regularly to serve as an open forum for women in franchising to develop relationships and to address issues, share ideas and offer solutions related to franchising. The first chapter was launched in May, 2002, in Denver and chapters in at least 15 other markets are expected to be up and running by the end of 2008, according to Beth Brody, an attorney with the law firm of Faegre & Benson and Chair of the WFN.

"We have been thrilled by the enthusiasm generated by the local chapters," Brody says. The programming has been excellent and the opportunity for women in franchising to network with one another has really struck a cord. We are very pleased with the number of women who participate in the various chapters around the U.S. and Canada, and feel that the chapters are meeting a real need."

Communities can offer a gamut of other resources as well from networking groups to university programs to local Chamber of Commerce organizations.

While the glass ceiling may yet be intact throughout corporate America, life has improved for women striving to succeed today, compared with 20 and even 10 years ago, said Home Instead Senior Care’s Kathleen McKay. "I think perceptions and social mores have changed. There are more single parents who, out of necessity, have had to work and succeed. Then there have been those trail blazers to show us we can have it all: wife, mother and successful professional. Just the economics of our generation have changed and the requirement to have a second income put more of us into the workplace. But we enjoy it and we’re good at it. And franchising is certainly one way that we’re making the most of our opportunities."